Active travel and cruising go great together, and until recently most bike and hike trips have used ... [+]
Leisure travel has been booming across the board since the pandemic, but two areas in particular have been especially hot. Cruises, which many pundits thought might not recover, have come back stronger than ever, and the entire active travel niche has exploded in popularity, with record bookings for most of the major companies specializing in this area.
These two trends have in turn birthed a third fast-growing niche, active cruises. Traditionally guided luxury hiking, biking and multi-sport trips would stay at two or three hotels for two or three nights each, moving guests’ luggage for them as they pedaled or walked across Tuscany or Burgundy or wherever the trip was set. But many travelers have fallen in love with the concept of only unpacking and packing once, using a ship as a moveable hotel. I’ve personally done many different active trips, and this convenience is the number one reason my fellow travelers have cited for why they choose these cruise itineraries. When I did a river cruise-based cycling trip in France with luxury active travel specialist Backroads last fall, there were several longtime repeat Backroads customers on the ship who told me that while they loved the company and keep coming back, they now only do ship-based trips, because they enjoy not changing hotels throughout.
Backroads has greatly expanded its active crusie offerings on rivers and oceans, and its latest ... [+]
There are other benefits besides convenience, as guests get to combine the best of both worlds. They still get the trappings of a “regular” active vacation, with full van support each day off the ship, expert guides, high-quality bikes, carefully planned routes and varying length options mapped on GPS loaner devices. They still get the many VIP extras along the way, such as private guides for cultural and historic tours, wine tastings, special meals, cooking classes and such. But on top of the things luxury active travel specialists provide, they also get the cruise extras, like included meals when there is not a special off-ship lunch or dinner, fitness activities such as yoga classes, onboard entertainment or lectures, and the option to take part in the cruise-based itineraries, such as “regular” shore excursions, especially in the event of bad weather. If for some reason (exhaustion, weather, illness, etc.) a guest wants to skip a day of hiking or biking, they can simply stay on the ship rather than worry about moving to the next location on a land-based trip.
There are many standout operators in the upscale active travel category, and those offering multiple active cruise options include top luxury names such as Butterfield & Robinson and DuVine. But no one has embraced this category as quickly and deeply as Backroads, America’s oldest active travel company. They are also widely considered the biggest, and this is certainly the case when it comes to active cruises—10 years ago, Backroads offered zero options, and now they have more than 100 on ships of varying sizes, ocean and river, all around the globe.
Active travelers still get the guides, van support and all the usual Backroads bells and ... [+]
“When we pioneered the active river cruise space with AmaWaterways in 2015, I had no idea that we’d be reinventing the cruise market,” said Tom Hale, Backroads Founder, President and CEO. “But looking back, it was a winning combination from the start. Active cruising offers that seamless sense of journey, adventure, leisure and luxury that our guests are looking for—it’s truly a unique and special way to explore the world.”
River cruises remain the core of active travel by ship, as the rooms are typically larger, disembarkation and embarkation much easier, there are virtually no seasickness issues, and almost every important city in the world sits on a river. But the concept has increasingly spilled over to the oceans, and Backroads just announced its newest collaboration, this time with Emerald Cruises, the award-winner for Best Small Ship Cruise Line from Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s annual readers’ poll.
After biking or hiking, guests can relax in the pool on the newest yachts from Emerald Cruises.
The newest just-added trip in Backroads’ Active Ocean & River Cruises collection, for 2025, is a Greece & Croatia Multi-Adventure Tour from Athens to Dubrovnik. Highlights include a bike ride to the ruins of Delphi, hiking above the UNESCO Heritage Site of Kotor, Montenegro, and kayaking in the Greek isles. Departures are aboard Emerald’s two newest yachts, the Azzurra and Sakara, small ships that pack a big punch, with amenities such as open-air bar, lounge areas, swimming pool and gym, along with a focus on gourmet cuisine.
Some bike rides end at the docks, but the fun doesn't stop there.
Emerald joins an impressive lineup of top tier luxury Backroads cruise partners. Almost all river trips, including the excellent Paris to Normandy one I did, are with award-winning AmaWaterways. Most of the oceangoing trips are with Ponant, the only French-flagged luxury cruise line, known for its excellent rooms, great service, modern and very efficient sustainability-focused small ships, and excellent cuisine. I’ve also sailed with Ponant, and it was a wonderful and intimate experience. Backroads’ water-based trips run a broad gamut from Europe to Antarctica, Polynesia to the Galápagos Islands, and Asia Pacific to the Amazon. Options have grown steadily year after year since the first river cruise in 2015, and other new adventures debuting in 2025 include a Multi-Adventure River Cruise on the Danube and an Iceland Walking & Hiking Ocean Cruise.
Additionally, because of the rapid growth and demand in the company’s active cruises category, Backroads has been able to add special departures including whole-ship active takeovers and trips specifically designed for all types of families and children, making them the only active travel company offering family trips segmented by age. They have also expanded their popular Dolce Tempo “easygoing” trips, which are less strenuous, and often use e-bikes, to the roster of active cruise options.
Active cruises trips can be hiking, cycling or multi-sport.
There are active cruises for hikers, cyclists and multi-sport enthusiasts, for hardcore athletes and laid-back travelers, for families with teens, families with younger kids, for singles, friends and couples, on rivers and oceans, and the bottom line is that Backroads simply has more active cruise options and destinations than anyone else. But it’s not just the size and scope that is important, it’s also the quality, and I have traveled repeatedly with Backroads (as well as many of their competitors, big and small), and have loved it, whether on a cruise or not. They have been doing it since 1979 and they do it very well.
